


the last goodbye

by missmaier



Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Amputation, Angst, Blood, Canon Compliant, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, in between ep4 timeskips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-03-26
Packaged: 2019-12-18 10:17:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18247811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missmaier/pseuds/missmaier
Summary: AJ comes back to the school begging them to save Clementine's life.





	the last goodbye

**Author's Note:**

> episode 4 absolutely wrecked me and on very little sleep and a lot of grief i produced this. sorry for any mistakes/inconsistencies!
> 
> this is compliant with the romance and save Violet route, and in this case Tenn is dead and Violet is alive.

The sun was just coming up over the horizon when AJ appeared at the front gates.

Aasim had been on watch. “Violet! Louis! It’s AJ!” Violet’s head snapped up from where she’d been standing, and she ran forward to greet the boy, who was being let in by Ruby. 

AJ was panting, and his eyes were wide and frantic. He was covered in blood, but it didn’t appear to be his own. The kids swarmed him with questions immediately.

“What happened to you?”

“Where’s Clem?”

“Are you hurt?”

AJ, between pants, pointed in the direction he’d run from. “Clem needs help. Now.”

Violet felt dread hit her like the weight of a thousand bricks. “What happened to Clem? Is she okay?”

“I don’t-I don’t know!” AJ said, his voice raising to a yell. His shoulders were shaking and for the first time Violet noticed how red-rimmed his eyes were, as if he’d been crying. “She was bit and she asked me to kill her but I couldn’t and I-I-”

AJ was talking so fast Violet couldn’t keep up with him. Though one phrase AJ had said rang in her ears.  _ She was bit. _ Violet turned away, running a hand over her face. “Shit… shit!” The breath was seemingly gone from her body, and she couldn’t breathe. She felt a pair of hands on her shoulders, and she didn’t look to see who it was before grasping their hand with a tight squeeze. Louis.

“No, you’re not listening to me!” AJ said, his voice hysterical. Violet dared to look back at him, and he was staring right at her. “She’s alive!”

Violet exchanged a glance with Louis, who looked sadder than she’d ever seen anyone. It was probably how she looked right about now. Violet watched as Ruby knelt down in front of AJ and put a hand on his shoulder. “AJ… once someone is bitten, they’re gone. She may have been alive when you left her, but she won’t be the same Clementine now.”

“You don’t understand!” AJ yelled back, pointing more forcefully behind him. “If you cut off the bite soon enough, you won’t turn! I cut off her leg but she’s not gonna survive if we don’t go get her!”

Violet’s eyes widened. “You’re saying that she’s not gonna turn?”

“Not if we go help her now!”

Violet looked down at the ground, a million thoughts running through her head at once. Ruby was the first to speak up. “I dunno, Vi. It’s your call, but…”

“I think we should at least look. We owe her that much,” Aasim said, and Ruby didn’t respond. Violet looked over at Louis, who seemed to know what she was thinking. He took a notepad out of his coat, scribbling something down and showing it to her.

_ I’ll go with you. _

Violet looked up at him, giving him a grateful nod. “Ruby, go get your medical supplies. Whatever you can carry.” Ruby ran inside before Violet even got another word in. “AJ, how many walkers are there?”

“A lot.”

“Okay. Louis, Aasim, Willy, can you cover us?” At their nod, she turned to Omar. “Can you stay here and keep watch?”

Omar nodded. “You can count on me, Violet.”

As soon as Ruby ran out with a satchel of medical supplies, Omar opened the gate for them and they took off running, AJ leading the way. Violet felt tears burning the back of her eyes, but she wouldn’t let them fall. Clementine was fine. She had to be.

They came up on a barn that was surrounded by walkers, and they stopped short in their tracks. Aasim, Louis and Willy split off, Aasim and Willy yelling and Louis slamming Chairles on the fence post to lead the walkers away. As soon as there was an opening, AJ and Ruby made a run for it, Violet killing walkers to cover them.

Violet ran in the barn, walkers making a grab for her and slamming against the door as she slid it shut. She shoved a shovel in between the handles, backing up and making sure there weren’t any other openings. It looked like AJ and Clementine had barricaded it pretty well.

Violet turned to see Ruby knelt down next to a very pale, barely conscious Clementine. There was blood all over the barn floor, and all of Clementine’s left leg below the knee was gone. Violet kneeled down next to her, grasping her hand tightly. “Clem? Can you hear me?” Violet said, and it seemed to take all of Clementine’s strength to turn her head to look.

“Vi…” Clementine said, a light smile on her face. Her blinks were becoming longer, and Ruby was shoving cloth on Clementine’s nub of a leg to stop the bleeding. Her severed shin and foot was still laying right there, and Violet had to force back the bile rising in her throat. She shoved the foot away so Clementine wouldn’t have to see it. “I… I’m not gonna…”

“Shh,” Violet said, brushing back Clementine’s bangs from where they were sticking to the sweat on her forehead. “Don’t talk like that.”

“I’m tired, Vi…” Clementine murmured, her head dropping to Violet’s shoulder. “I just… need to close my eyes…” Her breathing picked up, and her eyelids began to droop.

Ruby shook her head. “Fuck, she’s going into shock. Vi, keep her awake. AJ, grab the needle from my bag.”

“Clem, take deep breaths.” Clementine almost didn’t seem to hear her, and Violet grasped her hand tighter. “Hey, you were telling me about that treehouse in your backyard? When you were a kid? Remember that?”

For a moment, Violet thought Clementine had passed out, then she gave a small smile. “How could I forget? Whenever I… played princess, I wanted my knight in shining armor to rescue me.” Clementine looked up, her eyes rimmed red. “Guess my wish came true.”

“God, that’s hilarious. Do I really look like a knight to you?” Violet said, tears slipping down her cheeks as she let out a short laugh. 

Clementine chuckled, then let out a couple coughs. Violet put a hand on her forehead. “Ruby, she’s cold.”

Ruby shook her head, and Violet looked down to see Clementine’s blood coating Ruby’s arms and clothes. “There’s a blanket in my bag. AJ, can you grab it and drape it over her?”

As AJ tucked the blanket under Clementine’s shoulders, Violet kept talking to keep her awake. “Hey, what was the name of that guy you told us about? Lee? How he protected you?”

“Yeah… Lee…” Clementine’s head rolled to the side, and Violet pushed her back upright. “He got bit… Just like I did… but he…”

There was a knock at the barn door. “I don’t know how much longer we can hold them off!” Aasim’s voice was muffled by the door, and Violet released Clementine’s hand to open it. “Louis and Willy are drawing them away, but there’s too many. We need to get back to the school.” He looked past her at Clementine, all the blood on the ground making his eyes widen.

Violet stepped in front of him to block his view. “Get Louis, he can lift her and carry her back.”

“She’s not… gonna turn?” Aasim asked, and Violet shook her head. 

“Not if I can help it.”

\---

Clementine didn’t wake up until a couple days later. AJ, Violet and Louis wouldn’t leave her side, despite Ruby’s best efforts to shoo them away. The color had gone back into her face at least a little, and she was showing no signs of infection. Ruby said that was a good sign. Though it was still possible she wouldn’t ever wake up.

Violet didn’t want to believe that, and neither did AJ or Louis. Or the rest of the kids, for that matter. They’d just lost Tenn, and losing Clementine would break them all.

One day, when they were sitting in the nurse’s office next to Clementine’s bed, her eyes opened. They didn’t even notice at first, Louis distracting Violet and AJ with card games and hand gestures to keep their spirits lifted. Violet had her cards resting next to Clementine’s nub, AJ next to her and Louis across from them. They didn’t even notice Clementine pushing herself up to see what they were doing.

“Deal me in next round.”

All three of their heads snapped to see Clementine, awake and smiling at all three of them. AJ was the first to react. “Clementine!” He yelled happily, running forward and throwing his arms around her neck. Clementine grunted, but let out a laugh, closing her eyes and returning the hug. As soon as they let go of each other, Violet hugged her as tightly as she could without hurting her.

“Don’t ever do that to me again,” she murmured into Clementine’s hair, the warmth of her skin and the feel of her shirt’s fabric Violet’s only anchor. She ran her hands over Clementine’s neck, her hair, her shoulders, as if confirming she was real.

“I’m sorry,” Clementine said as soon as she pulled away with a small smile. She returned Louis’ hug when he gave it, and he left to get Ruby. Clementine looked at AJ, fixing him with a stern stare. “You didn’t listen to me.”

Violet was taken aback. Was she really  _ mad  _ at him? Once AJ had calmed down, he told the kids everything, including her request for him to kill her. But his disobedience was the reason she was alive.

AJ seemed to agree. “I’m sorry Clem, but I didn’t want you to die! I thought if I could save you I should at least try.”

Clementine’s gaze softened. “Oh, goofball.”

“It’s Alvin Junior,” he halfheartedly protested, unable to stop the smile from spreading on his face.

Violet grasped Clementine’s hand, raising it to her lips and letting her lips brush over her knuckles. “I’m so glad he didn’t learn well.”

AJ laughed, and Clementine rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “Normally I’d disagree, but I’ve gotta admit I’m pretty damn happy to be alive.”

AJ and Violet stayed in there until Ruby came back and shooed them away, and if they snuck back in later, she definitely didn’t need to know.


End file.
